They may already be successful musicians, but these 5 stars all felt the need to have their own record label. Some wanted to protect their own music and have full control over their own releases. Others believe they are good at talent spotting and want to help young acts find stardom under their label, as they have the power to promote them and take them on tour. Here are 5 musicians who’ve all opted to start their own labels.
Ed Sheeran
Ed set up his own label to give young musicians a chance: “I’ve set up my first record label and Jamie Lawson [a British singer-songwriter] is my first signing. I wanted Australia to be the launch pad because Australia is a country that I feel would really really dig Jamie. I have a tour and Twitter, so I can put them in front of my fans instantly. I can sit down with heads of radio stations and ask whether they’ll play it on the radio. I’m in a really fortunate position to be able to break acts.”
Janelle Monae
Janelle founded Wondaland Records. She said about her inspiration: “I was inspired to start Wondaland Records after seeing there was a big absence of female entrepreneurs in the music industry who understand how to develop and market innovative artists, artists who truly care about community and redefining the creative waters in the music industry. I’ve always been inspired to do more than just be an artist in the industry and treasured businesswomen such as Julie Greenwald and Sylvia Rhone, and admired artists such as Madonna and what she did with Maverick Records.”
Katy Perry
Katy signed singer Ferras to her label, Metamorphosis Music. She said about the decision: “Ferras is a man with a message and a unique, lyrical way of communicating his perspective on life that makes you feel connected to every note when you listen. [The EP’s] ‘Speak in Tongues’ is a song with raw emotional power that I wish I wrote. I believe he is going to be an important artist to watch unfold. I am so ecstatic the world gets to hear his music now both online and on tour with me.”
Lily Allen
Lily launched her own label because she wanted to see things done differently: “I think things need to change in the music industry and we need to rethink a lot of stuff.”
Solange Knowles
Solange opted to found her own label to release her music through: “Super stoked to announce I’ve started my own label,Saint Records,where I’ll be releasing my music & other projects distributed through Sony! It is through Saint Records that I will be releasing my full length album, and also future music projects that I’m excited about sharing!”
